Taupe

Taupe ( /ˈtoʊp/) is a dark grayish-brown color. The word "taupe" derives from the Latin name for the European Mole, Talpa europaea. Originally, this referred only to the average color of the French mole, but like the colors pink and lavender, the name expanded (in the case of taupe beginning in the 1940s) to encompass a wide range of varying shades. Taupe is a vague, unscientific color term which may be used to refer to almost any grayish-brown, brownish-gray, or warm gray color. It often overlaps with tan and even people who use color professionally (such as designers and artists) frequently disagree as to what "taupe" means. There is no single, generally recognized authority for such terms. The color displayed at right matches the...